Second of three seminars in Georgia focused on human rights monitoring and reporting

TBILISI, 5 July 2002 - The second of three training seminars on international human rights law and relevant monitoring techniques ended today in Georgia. Participants from eight different cities, among them representatives of 21 Georgian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and four representatives of state structures attended the workshop on practical monitoring and reporting skills, which forms part of the Joint Program for the South Caucasus of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Commission.

"This type of training is proving to be a great success, and it is really helpful. In the period between the first and the second training I, together with two other participants, was even able to hold a seminar in my home town and pass on some of the information we got at the training", said Levon Levonian, regional representative of the Public Defender's Office in Akhalkalaki (Samtskhe-Javakheti), at the closing of the seminar.

For the past five days participants have been meeting in a congress center near the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The seminars have been initiated by the ODIHR, facilitated by the OSCE Mission to Georgia and financed jointly by the European Union and the Italian government. Training has been carried out by experts from the Polish Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. The first training took place in May and the last is scheduled for October 2002.

"I am impressed with the active involvement of the participants", said Agnieszka Kłosowska, Trainer from the Polish Helsinki Foundation at the closing of the seminar. "This will hopefully give a boost to the networking of NGOs involved in Human Rights Monitoring and Reporting Procedures all over the regions of Georgia."